Skein supporting and folding means



"M. 0. CLAUSS. SKEIN SUPPORTING AND FOLDlNG ME-ANS.

APPLlCATlON FILED JULY 29, L920- Patented Dec'. 27, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHET I.

Sum/Mom Jifaa: 052a Claus-s- M. 0.- CLAUSS.

SKEIN SUPPORTING AND FOLDING MEANS.

APPLLCATION FILED JULY 29. 1920.

1,401,522, Patented Deu. 27, 1921.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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@5 1 ,114 Wane/13G f g 2 Z UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

1 MAX orro cLLUss. or ew Year, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO THE CLARK THREAD COM- rm, or nnwanx, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

m surron'rms AND rormmc MEANS.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, MAX Orro CLAUSS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of the Bronx, in the count of the Bronx and the city and State of ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in S kein Supporting and FoldingMeans, of which the following is a description. y y

This invention relates to skein supporting and folding means, and generically cons dered it has for its primary object to provlde means for supporting the skein windings, and after a predetermined length of the thread or filament has been wound,: doubling the seriesof looped strands, to thereby shorten the skein length Without intersecting portionsof the looped strandswith each other.

More particularly the present improvement contemplates the provision of a plurality of skein supporting and folding frames revolu ble as a unit about a common axis, each frame embodying a group of relatively mov able elements, together with means for automatically actuating the elements relatively to each other in succession as the frames are revolved. a

It is also an object of this invention to provide means for so forming the skeins that the use of the ordinary tubular label may be dispensed with and a single flexible binder applied to the medial portion of the skein whereby the skein strands are held in compact relation.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved form, construction and relative arrangement of the several parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and defined in the sub joined. claims.

In the drawingswherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away showing theoperating means for the movable skein supporting frame elements.

Fig. 2 iswa view looking atright angles to Fig. 1, certain of the skein supporting frames being removed, and showing one of p the parts in section.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

Application filed my 29, 1920. Serial No. 399,853.

.Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views lllustrating the skein winding and folding operations.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of 1parts of one of the frames.

eferring in detail to the drawings, 5 designates a shaft which is suitably ]Ol1I- naled in'the machine frame and to which power may be transmitted froman electric motor or other convenient source. Upon thisshaft theplate 6 is loosely mounted, said plate having hub portion 7 fixed to the frame, as at 8. The plate 6, upon one side thereof and at its outer edge, is formed with a continuous closed cam track 9. Upon this same faceof the plate 6 a cam 10 is integrally formed. The purpose of these cams 9 and 10 will be fully explained in the following description.

A pair of spaced plates or flanges 11' are provided upon the sleeve 12 which is arranged upon the shaft 5 in spaced relation to the cam 10, said flanges being fixed to the shaft by means of a set screw 13.

Each of the skein supporting frames comprises a pair of relatively-movable arms 14 and 16. The channel shaped arm or bar 14 extends radially with respect to the shaft 5 and has its inner end disposed between the spaced flanges 11 and securely riveted or bolted thereto. In the present instance, I have illustrated four of the skein supporting frames which are revoluble as a" unit with the shaft 5, and the elements 14: of these frames are arranged in diametrically opposed relation. Each of the side flanges of the frame element 14 is provided at its outer end with a longitudinally projecting formof a channel shaped arm or bar. At

its inner end, the side flanges ofthis arm are extended as at 17, to straddle the spaced flanges 11, and these extensions of the arm 16 are loosely mounted upon a pin 18, which is loosely journaled-inthe spaced flanges 11.

The arm 16 likewise at its outer end is provided with the longitudinally projecting fingers 19.

Upon the medial portion of the pin 18, between the flanges 11, the skein folding arm 20 is fixed at its inner end. This arm normally lies within the channel shaped arm 16 1 of the, frame. Upon one endof the pin 18 an arm 21 lS'fi'XGd, said arm carrying a roller 22 for engagement upon the peripheral face of the cam 10. Spring means (notshown in the drawings) are provided for heepin the rollers 22 in contact with the face of the cam 10. a

Upon one side of the frame arm 16, a laterally extending lug or'arm is formed upon which a roller 23 is mounted. This'roller is operatively engaged in the cam track 9 of the plate 6.

The thread or filament iswound around and upon the fingers '15 and 19 of the spaced frame arms'14 and 16 by means of a flier indicated at 24, and which may be similar in construction to. the flier illustrated in my pending application for Patent Serial No. 324,530, filed September 18, 1919. This flier is loosely mounted on the shaft 5, and may be actuated by meanssimilar to that shown in the above application. However, as the present invention involves only the means for supporting and folding the skein windings, it will not be necessary to herein refer in detail to this flier actuating mechanism.

Upon now referring to the Figsfil and 3 of theidrawings, it will be noted that the Y thread or filament is first wound upon the 16 will be swung upon the pin 8 inwardly toward the arm 14. Simultaneously with this movement of the arm 16, the roller 22 co-acts with the high portion of the cam 10, and the arm 20 is swung upon the pin 18 in dependently of the arm 16 and at a greater speed than said arm. This arm 20 at its outer end has a single finger 25, which engages the ends of the looped thread strands,

- the said looped strands being supported by the end of said arm against a falling or downward movement as it moves in advance of the arm 16. The movement of the arm 20 is continued until it is brought into contact with the arm 14, while the arm 16 is moved about one-half of the length of the original looped thread strands seen in Fig. 3. In this manner, it will be, seen that the thread loops are folded into the condition shown in Fig;

4, and instead of a single series of relatively long looped strands, the skein now consists of two spaced series of comparatively short looped strands. This latter condition of the skein is shown at the left in Fig. 1, and at the end of such operation, another of the frames will be in position to receive the skein windings.

A pin 30 is fixed to one side of each of the frame arms 14 and 16 to support the thread strand in the movement of the frames.

To the folded skein a binder is now applied, and, as herein shown, this binder consists of a paper strip which is folded around the medial portion of the several skein con- .volutions and the ends thereof brought together at one side of the skein. This binder indicated at 26 is of sufficient width to hold the skein strands in compact relation and obviate the necessity of using the ordinary tubular label for this purpose. The paper binder may be appliedby means of the mechanism disclosed in a second pending application Serial No. 381,283, filed May 14, 1920, and in the operation of which mechanism, locking tongues 27 are punched outof the end portions of the binder so as to securely retain the same in its applied position.

In the continued rotation of the series of frames, the roller 23 of the movable element 16 of the frame carrying a completed and bound skein finally strikes the raised. portion 28 at the lower side of the cam track 9, so that the outer end of this frame member is moved inwardly with respect to the end of the skein, and the skein will then drop or fall by gravity from the frame into acollecting receptacle. If desired, however, the skeins when released from the frames, may be collected and bound into bundles, for which purpose, the mechanism disclosed in a third pending application Serial Number 387,968, filed June 10, 1920, may be effectively utilized.

From the above description, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and manner of operation of the present invention will be clearly understood. It will be seen that I have produced a very simple and positively operating means wherein the several elements are compactly arranged for producing in an expeditious manner, a skein of relatively short length but wherein the numerous thread strands are all maintained in parallel relation to each other and do not intersect. Thus the thread may be pulled from the skein without liability of causing the raveling orknotting of the thread, and thereby eliminating the necessity of first carefully unfolding the skein and winding the thread into a ball as is the usual practice. The mechanism which I have herein described is merely illustrative of one means which I contemplate employing in this particular skein forming operation, but it is manifest of course that the same results might be preduced by numerous alternative construe tions, Accordingly it is to be understood that as the invention might be exemplified 1n other structural embo bodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim; j a

l. Skein supporting and folding means comprising a; frame to receive the skein windings consisting of relatively'movable elements, means for moving one element toward the other element and means actuated as the first element is moved toward the second element to engage the end of the skein supported upon the first element and carry it toward the second element to thereby form a plurality of convolutions in the skein. i

. 2. Skein supporting and folding means comprising a frame to receive the skein windings consisting of relatively movable elements, each of said elements having a plurality of skein supporting fingers, means for moving one element toward the other the travel of the first element toward the second element to move the skein folding member toward the second. element at a greater speed than the first element to thereby form a plurality of convolutions in the skein.

4c. Skein supporting and folding means comprising a frame to receive the skein windings consisting of relatively movable elements, a skein folding member mounted to move parallelly with one of the elements, means for moving this element toward the other element and means for moving the skein folding member toward the second element.

5. Skein supporting and folding means comprising a frame to receive the skein windings consisting of relatively movable elements, each element having a plurality of skein engaging fingers, a skein folding member, means for moving one element toward the other element, and means for causing the skein folding member to move between the fingers of the first element as the latter moves toward the second element to thereby form a plurality of convolutions in the skein.

6. Skein supporting and folding means,

including a frame having relatively movable elements, each provided with means to receive the skein windings, a skein folding member, means for actuating one of the elements and the skein folding member in unison to fold the skein and form a plurality of convolutions therein while maintaining the skein strands under tension, and means for subsequently imparting a further movement to the actuated frame element to release the folded skein for removal from the frame.

'7. Skein supporting and folding means comprising a plurality of skein supporting frames, a horizontally arranged shaft upon which the frames are mounted and about which they are revoluble as a unit, each frame consisting of relatively movable elements, a skein foldingmember associated with each element, and means for actuating one element and the skein folding member during one revolution of the frame about the shaft to cause said element and the skein folding member to form a plurality of convolutions in the skein.

8. A plurality of skein supporting frames revoluble as a unit about a common axis, a skein folding member associated with each of said frames, and a fixed cam for actuating said skein folding members in each revolution of the frames to form a plurality of con volutions in the skein carried by the frame.

9. A plurality of skein supporting frames revoluble as a unit about a common axis, each of said frames comprising relatively movable frame elements, a skein folding member associated with each frame, cam means for actuating one element of each frame, and additional cam means for simultaneously actuating the skein folding member associated with the frame to form a plurality of convolutions in the skein while maintaining the skein strands under tension during the bodily movement of the series of frames.

10. A plurality of skein supporting frames revoluble as a unit about a common axis,

each of said frames comprising relatively movable frame elements, a skein folding member associated with each frame, cam means for actuating one element of each frame, and additional cam means for simultaneously actuating the skein folding member associated with the frame to form a plurality of convolutions in the skein while maintaining the skein strands under tension during the bodily movement of the series of frames, and additional means subsequently co-acting with each cam actuated frame element to impart a further movement thereto with respect to the other element and thereby release the skein from the frame.

11. Skein supporting and folding means comprising a plurality of frames revoluble about a common axis, each frame consisting of relatively movable elements, means for moving one element toward the other element, a skein folding member, and means operative while the first element is moving toward the second element to cause the skein about the axis, a skein folding member, 8,

second cam and means connecting the second cam with the skeln folding member to cause the latter to move toward the second element 15 to thereby form a plurality of convolutions in the skein.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX OTTO CLAUSS.

Witnesses:

A. Y. CoUGAN, A. GEIssENsn'rrER. 

